Mum’s The Word was originally a poetry project which I completed while on maternity leave and which culminated in an exhibition at Silvie café in East Oxford in February this year, writes Kate Thirlwall.
The project was comprised of twelve poems and illustrations on the theme of modern parenthood and explored my first year as a mother.
During the exhibition, I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback from the local community as to the power of poetry to unlock a more honest conversation around motherhood.
Our poems and illustrations seemed to really resonate with mothers during their transition into parenthood and many women commented that the poems had boosted their wellbeing as they felt seen, heard and held by the words.
This made me realise the huge potential that art has to support mental health and it spurred me on to set up Mum’s The Word not only as a place to publish poetry but as a support service for mothers.
As an accredited wellbeing coach, I decided to combine my creative and supportive skills into a business.
So, what do we do exactly? At Mum’s The Word, we offer workshops using creativity as a tool for self-care.
It’s not all about writing poetry or being pressured to be an amazing artist. Instead, it’s about spending some time with other mothers discussing common themes and experiences such as challenges with body confidence, identity, relationships, sleep deprivation, tantrums – you name it!
In our workshops we use creative tasks designed to encourage play and accessing your feelings in a safe and supportive space.
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You will hopefully leave our workshops feeling refreshed, empowered and nurtured, with ideas about how to look after yourself and your family in a sustainable way.
This month we are proud to be working with Independent Oxford and Flo’s in the Park as part of the Health and Wellbeing Project which runs from August 26 to September 8.
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The project is a two week pop up wellbeing event where local wellbeing and creative practitioners are coming together to offer their work to support the local community.
For this project, Mum’s The Word are offering three creativity and self-care workshops which are group sessions where you’ll get the chance to check in with your wellbeing, prioritise areas you may have been neglecting and make some beautiful words and pictures along the way. In addition to this work, we are also offering individual, confidential wellbeing coaching slots for mothers which involve an hour of compassionate listening, non-judgmental support and time to explore how you are feeling.
For more information on The Health and Wellbeing Project or to book your space at a Mum’s The Word event visit http://independentoxford.com/the-health-wellbeing-project-schedule/
Kate’s poetry and all future event details can be found at mumstheword.press or follow her on Instagram @mumsthewordpoetry
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